Hi guys and welcome back.
Luna and Star almost jumped out of their skins when they heard someone talking behind them. When Luna turned to the entrance of the tent, Rio, Mio and Luka were standing there. Luna's heart calmed down after a few seconds and then she asked them, "What are you three doing here alone, it's almost dark." Luna gestured for them to come inside. - Rio thought it was a great idea to come here alone so we asked him me and Luka followed.- Mio answered Luna's question that with a facial expression that said,, what else could it be.,, Rio started to sulk and angrily answered - You too wanted to see where is Luna .- Mio just sighed, shook her head and answered him. - Yes, but I wanted to wait for someone older to come with us. You remember what happened the last time you snuck out.- Rio then paused and looked at Luka with guilt in his eyes knowing that because of him, Luka almost got killed because of him. Luka noticed the sadness in Rio's eyes and just placed a paw on his shoulder saying to him. - I could have just told the others that you disappeared but instead I followed you. It's partly my fault .- Luka tried to cheer Rio up. Luna and Star didn't want to put up unnecessary pi thin because there will either be a fight and an unnecessarily heavy atmosphere, that's why the old man asked. - Did you at least contact someone? - the three riolus looked at Luna without saying a word with an awkward expression on their faces. Star and Luna didn't have to ask anything more because it was already clear to them, based on their expressions. "You didn't tell anyone. Aren't you?" Star started laughing a second after they shook their heads. Luna looked at him strangely, not seeing what was so funny.
Star took a minute to calm down and then addressed them. -Luna, don't they remind you? at someone.- Luna still looked at him confusedly, trying to figure out what it was about, but nothing came to her mind.- Every time Suuny was bored, she would simply run out of the house into the forest and we would go after.- Luna remembered every time she or the twins would simply disappear from the house and go into the forest without reporting to her parents. Almost every time, promised it wouldn't happen again, but it would happen anyway. And when she thought about it, the three riolus really reminded them of the three of them when they were younger and got into all kinds of trouble. Various memories and events were going around in Luna's head, causing her to feel nostalgic a look and a smile on his face. "When you say that, they really remind me of us when we were their age." Mio was the first to interrupt the nostalgic atmosphere with a question. - How old are you, Luna? - Luna turned to Mio and answered her.,, I'll be 19 this winter." Mio and the others seemed very surprised by Luna's answer. Rio even commented in surprise shouting - Wait a minute, you're as old as my brother!-
It seemed strange to Luna at first and then she remembered that pokemons have different life spans depending on their species. Luna Slash appears to be around 24-26 years old, which would explain why Rio is so surprised by her answer. "With how many seasonal cycles do you become adults?" Luna asked them, wanting to explain the difference between their calculation of years. - With about 15-16 seasonal cycles.- answered Mio, and then waited for what Luna had to say. "You see, people become adults with 18 seasonal cycles, and considering that I will turn 19 this winter, I am an adult. If I were a lucarios, that would mean that I have a little more than 16 seasonal cycles." Luna slowly explained to them the difference between them and their aging pace, to which they responded with ,,Ahhha,, and nodded their heads in understanding. - Then is it okay to call you big sister? - This caught Luna by surprise because she did not expect such a question from Luka. Mio and Rio joined Luka's idea asking her the same thing as well. Luna sighed and decided to agree to their request, which only slightly succeeded in causing the three riolus who jumped onto Luna to hug her while shouting at the same time -Big Sister!-
They almost knocked her to the ground but Luna didn't mind at all and immediately she responded by giving a big group hug. ,, Old man, what are you waiting for silly. This is a group hug." Star didn't need to be told twice as he immediately joined in the group hug. The hug didn't last long as Luna remembered that the three little riolus in front of her hadn't reported to anyone in the tribe and must already be worried about them because it was already getting pretty dark. "I think we should head back to the tribe." All three of them let out a sigh of disappointment and unwillingness to return knowing that you must have ended up in trouble by now. Luna packed the phone with her in her bag and along with Star and riolus headed back to the tribe.
When they reached the tribe, a slight tension could already be noticed in the air until one of the members noticed them and shouted to the others that they had arrived. Among the first to arrive, of course, was Slash, who was incredibly furious and worried that he almost scared Luna too. As he approached Luka and Rio hid behind Luna, while Mio just stood next to Luna holding her hand. - Rio, now you are in really big trouble. I thought you learned your lesson the last time you tried to sneak out. Mom and Dad already went out with the patrol to look for you...- Slash started yelling at Rio, ignoring the fact that he was trying to hide behind Luna. Although Slash made a scene, it was noticeable that the slight panic that was present when they arrived slowly disappeared.
After Slash finished shouting, they were joined by Azur and another female lucario unknown to Luna. - I see you found them before us again.- Azur spoke to Luna while Mio squeezed her hand out of concern that her brother would not get angry with her, because she had never gotten into any mischief before. ,, They actually found me, in my camp. We would have come earlier but we had a chat little to long and that's why I apologize. I should have brought them back right away." Luna clarified and apologized as Rio and Luka found the courage to step outside Luna and face their family members. -It's not your fault. If they hadn't sneaked out, they wouldn't be in trouble. now.- An unknown female lucarios spoke to her in a fine voice. Judging by her voice and her behavior, She must be Luke's mom.' Luna thought as Lucario approached her and said.- I'm Lilly, Luka's mother.- Luna greeted Lilly politely until Luka slowly approached his mom.- Mio, can you explain to me what you were thinking when you snuck out like that .- Azure asked Mio scolding her a bit. Mio let go of Luna's hand and walked over to her brother with her head bowed in answer to the question.
- After the training Luna immediately ran to check on the patients and do something else in her camp. Rio became impatient and decided to go to her camp, so Luka and I decided to go with him, wanting to see Luna. I'm sorry to worry you.- Azur just breathed a sigh of relief knowing that nothing bad happened to her, and knowing Mio knew is that she always keeps her promises. Mio then raised her head and azure took her in her arms while Lilly did the same with Luke. -All three of you thank Luna for bringing you back. She could have come in too into some trouble because of you. - Slash ordered them and all three of them went at the same time thanked. - Thank you, big sister. - This shocked Lilly and Slash, while Azur showed only mild curiosity for this kind of change in children. A voice coming from behind Luna broke into the conversation. - I was wondering when they would start calling you something like that.- It was Raichu and Elder Kira who seemed to be returning from a patrol, probably a regular one. Raichu could see a big smile on his face as he approached them.
- I wouldn't even be surprised if you got your old nickname back. - That comment made Luna blush with embarrassment and made the others extremely curious. "Don't you dare." Luna warned him not to accidentally say something, but it wasn't Raichu who discovered her little secret. -What are you ashamed of now. What's wrong with the kids calling you Little Mama.- when Star said that, for Luna that was it, the earth wanted to swallow her and never appear again as the Lucarios smiled and the Riolus looked at Luna surprised. - As far as I'm concerned, it makes sense. At the training , you give us treats, save us from team rockets, tell good stories, take care of us and sing beautiful lullabies. In my opinion you have everything to be a good mom.- Mio commented making Luna even redder than a charmeleon. Luna tried to hide her face with her hands but everyone giggled at Mio's statement and thought she was right. - As far as I'm concerned, you can babysit Rio whenever you want. And it can't sneak up on you anyway. - Slash commented while rubbing his brother's head. Elder Kira was very lucky that Elder Fang insisted that they trust Luna and her friends, because now they had something much more than allies. They got new friends who constantly come to their aid without hesitation without asking for anything in return. ,Fang you were right as always.' Elder Kira thought to himself.
Luna, Raichu and Star headed to pick up Sunny who was just coming out of the cave with the patients running towards Luna in a panic. - Luna, you won't believe it but Zoe's wound reopened.- Luna started running straight in the cave and saw Zoe holding her shoulder in pain and the fur around her wound was soaked with blood. Luna immediately took out the medical kit from her bag and walked over to Zoe with the words. ,, What happened Zoe, didn't I tell you not to strain." Luna criticized Zoe who rolled her eyes, thinking that Luna was exaggerating a bit. Luna quickly stitched the wound back up, which thankfully didn't burst open, and then asked Zoe "Can you at least tell me what happened, so your wound opened again?" Zoe let out a breath, knowing that if she didn't answer, someone else surely would. - When I heard that Mio, Rio and Luka were missing, I thought that I could at least help in the search for them because it's not like I hurt my legs. When I wanted to leave, the rest of the tribe tried to stop me and in all that confusion the wound opened.- Zoe answered honestly while Luna packed her medical kit. Luna noticed that that wasn't the only thing bothering her, that there was something else and Luna thought she knew what it was. "Zoe, do you want to take a walk with me, let's get some fresh air?" Zoe hesitated a bit, but agreed anyway and started with Luna.
At the exit of the cave, Raichu was waiting for her with the twins who looked tired and it was getting late. ,, Dad , can you take the twins back to camp, I will join you shortly." Raichu was about to protest but saw that Zoe was standing behind Luna waiting for her. Raichu thought for a second and decided to let her go on one condition - When you're done ask someone to see you off, and even if it's late don't stay too long.- Luna knelt down to say goodbye to Raichu who patted her on the head as she she hugged. Then she got up and went with Zoe not far from the exit of the tribe, where no one could disturb them or eavesdrop. - Raichu really treats you like you are his own child.- Zoe was the first to initiate the conversation. ,, Yes, Raichu raised me alone with my parents. They and dad are like brothers." Luna answered the question smiling at the memory of how they would both make the same expression when she surprised them.
Zoe then fell silent, not knowing what to say anymore and simply enjoying the leisurely walk for the first time in the past few days. "There's another reason why you rebelled when they tried to stop you from going out." Zoe froze in place when Luna said that, realizing she should have seen this conversation coming. Zoe sighed and answered Luna. - It's hard to hide something from you, isn't it?- Luna just nodded her head and let Zoe continue with the story. Zoe knew there was no way out, so she just said coldly and in a monotone voice. - I feel so useless. I should be fighting with the others, patrolling or somehow contributing to the tribe instead of just lounging around and being a burden on everyone.- Zoe lost control of her voice at the back and let out a slight snarl of irritation. Luna could see that Zoe was more than annoyed and disappointed in herself, as well as having a hard time not being able to do much. ,, I understand. But that's no reason to do something risky like this tonight. You are strong Zoe and I know you would give your life for your tribe without a second thought. But they also need to be healthy and ready for what's to come, because if the feeling doesn't let me down, the worst is yet to come. So be patient Zoe and allow yourself to heal. For them."
Luna said to Zoe hoping her words somehow got through to her at least a little bit. Zoe knew Luna was right, again. And it kind of annoyed her but she knew she shouldn't be starting pointless arguments. Zoe looked at into the sky and took a deep breath, noticing that the forest wasn't so quiet anymore. Because there hadn't been any attacks in the past few days, the pokemon had slowly stopped hiding. And for a brief moment, it seemed to Zoe that normal life had returned to their forests. - Zoe means life. I thought since I was little, that means it's my duty to protect all life on our mountain and in our forests. I think that's actually what irritates me the most now, that others take care of me instead of me taking care of them.- Zoe paused and smiled, -Looks like I let my temper and emotions get the best of me.- Luna noticed that Zoe had become a lot calmer than when she was in the tribe. Luna lightly touched Zoe's healthy shoulder and told her, "It's time to go, let's go back before they worry about where we are so far." Zoe nodded and walked shoulder to shoulder with Luna back to the tribe. - You know, I feel much better now. Thank you Luna, you are a good listener.- Luna turned to Zoe and acted dramatic and said, "Is that big Zoe thanked a human being.?" Zoe got a Luna's joke and just joined in - Here it is. I knew that human ego was hidden somewhere.- Luna made a fake sad face and put her hand on her heart, pretending that Zoe had hurt her with her words. "I'm egoistical, you are mistaken ." After a few seconds, Zoe and Luna burst out laughing together and the tension that had been around them since the moment they met completely disappeared.
Luna then escorted Zoe back to her tribe's cave and headed back to her camp. On the way out of the tribe, she was stopped by Azur and Slash. Luna had a feeling that Raichu was behind this. - You didn't think you were going to sneak out and go back to the camp by yourself, did you?- Judging by Slash's attitude, he didn't plan to let her go alone. "I don't see what the fuss is about. The camp is five minutes from here by sprint, nothing bad can happen in such a short time." Luna tried to politely turn them away, knowing that she didn't need babysitters to watch over her. -You know the sooner we leave the sooner you'll be back.- Azure commented knowing if she let Slash answer it would result in a never ending argument. Luna just let out a breath knowing she couldn't beat the two of them so the three of them headed back together.
-You and Zoe have been smoothing things out, I see- Azure commented as they ran towards Luna's camp. "Yeah. Turns out the two of us are more alike than we thought." Luna smiled, and felt proud of Zoe because after everything that had happened, Zoe decided to give her a chance. Somehow Zoe looked a lot like Maya in Luna's eyes. She kept to herself, loyal to her drinkers, even copying Luna's joke and responding with a sarcastic one. ,, You see, Zoe reminds me a lot of my friend Maya back home. Maybe that's why I think I understood her better than the others." Luna replied to Azur's comment. Slash then started to laugh at Luna's answer. - Zoe is the most stubborn person in the tribe, if you managed to win her over then so did everyone else.- less than a minute later they arrived at Luna's camp, where Raichu was waiting for her outside Luna's tent. Luna knew there was no way Raichu could go to bed without seeing her asleep first. –Did she tried to come back alone?- Luna looked at him with an expression on her face,, are you serious,,. Azur and Slash smiled slightly and didn't mention Luna's little attempt to sneak out and convince them to let her alone, for which Luna was extremely grateful.
- No worries Luna, when you grow up to wander at night unaccompanied.- This shocked Luna that she was mistaken for a child. When she thought about it a little better, she didn't mention to anyone how old she really is, Mio, Rio and Luka. On the other hand, Azure is nothing much commented, he was already watching Luna's reaction. ,, Okay Slash, do you really think that some parent would let their underage kid go around the world and fight Team Rocket." Slash thought for a while and answered her. - First, Raichu is with you, who is very experienced and takes care of you., Secondly, as far as I understand, in emergencies you can instinctively protect yourself with aura even if you are exhausted and without strength afterwards. Thirdly, you are smart and probably you and the other pokemons are helped. Do I still need to state.- Luna had to admit that Slash had the right to have someone watching over her all the time, but she still didn't like being treated like a small child. Raichu giggled and knew that Luna couldn't stand being treated like a small child. "Slash, I'm turning 19 this winter." When she said that, Slash seemed more than shocked, he was trying to find some indication that Lua was joking, but he couldn't find anything. - Sorry, but as far as I've noticed, people are much taller and the way Raichu treats you, I thought you are much younger. How are we the same age. - Slash answered her stammering. Azur intervened this time by placing his paw on Slash's shoulder with a look,, don't talk, you'll make the situation worse,,. Slash looked at Azur and asked him - This doesn't surprise you at all.-
Raichu noticed that Azur is always calm in any situation, which he considered an advantage in most situations. on the other hand is Slash who does not hesitate to express his emotions and who is quite open, which reminds him of Back when he was young. - Mio tells me about everything. She told me that Luna, if we translated her old age to ours, she would have almost 17 seasonal cycles. So I'm not surprised too I have to admit that for someone so young, you're doing very well d pressure and in tight situations.- Luna accepted the compliment, as a sign that Azur doesn't look at her as a newly grown-up or inexperienced person.- Speaking of the kids, we better get back before they come up with something new and get into more trouble .- He suggested Slash, and then they said goodbye to him and returned to their tribe. Luna and Raichu entered the cabin and began to get ready for bed. - Who would have thought that we would become such close friends, considering how we met.- Raichu commented. When he noticed that Luna wasn't responding, he turned around and saw that she was fast asleep, so he decided to go to bed as well.